After getting hands-on with the Alpha build and seeing how the gameplay had changed, Carl sat down with game director Bernd Diemer and producer Jan Eric Lauble to chat about Dead Island 2. Topics include how the seemless multiplayer will work, why the team went with a less serious approach compared to its predecessor, and what sort of weapon combinations we can expect to find in the open world zombie slaying title.

Then Toby the Dealspwny appears and hijacks the interview. Just because he could.

Be sure to check out our hands-on impressions for Dead Island 2 from this year's Gamescom.

I really wanted to like the first Dead Island. I really did. It hit all the right boxes in terms on concept – 4-player co-op with a huge world to explore, customisable weapons to find and upgrade, varied enemies to kill – but it was all undone by a hugely inconsistent tone and some of the worst voice acting in recent years. As such I didn’t get very far into the game despite multiple tries to play through it, and I made sure to give Riptide a wide birth as well.

So it came as a welcome surprise when the Dead Island 2 announcement trailer caught my attention with a new, less serious tone that looked to inject some fun into the series. “This is exactly what happened last time, Carl, and the game didn’t live up to the hype,” I told myself, but after getting hands on with the game at this year’s Gamescom I’m far more optimistic that the handover of development from Techland to Yager Development (makers of the criminally underrated Spec Ops: The Line… if we ignore that multiplayer) will make it a win-win situation for both Deep Silver and consumers.

The shocking and incredibly brave Spec Ops: The Line was £4.99 yesterday thanks to GamersGate... and, erm, now it's a quid cheaper courtesy of Gamefly and their GFDFEB20UK voucher code. Regardless, it's still worth playing through what first appears to be a fairly mediocre shooter, only to discover that it's something much more interesting.

In many ways, the world wasn't quite ready for Spec Ops: The Line. Instead of falling in line with the pack, this brave contender decided to deliver one of the most shocking, thought-provoking and challenging storylines that our medium has managed to deliver thus far - and manages to be absolutely worth a purchase despite some lacklustre mechanics. Well worth a fiver, just so you can discuss it with your mates.

It’s yet another Midweek Madness deal, and this week Steam has knocked 75% off their usual RRP for Yager Development’s engaging shooter. The price point of a fiver may be a familiar offer, but the saving of a tenner over the next best deal is what makes this deal a worth noting.

Although it may not break the genre conventions in terms of mechanics, and its multiplayer section was tacked on (as admitted by the developers themselves), Spec Ops: The Line provides one of the most thought provoking action storylines in recent memory. For that reason alone, it’s worth a look for a fiver. Thanks to rob5110 @ HUKD!

We've seen Spec Ops slightly cheaper before thanks to a voucher code, but considering that you'll get a Steam code at a significant saving, we reckon that Get Games' latest offer is probably worth bringing to your attention. This dark and unflinchingly mature shooter delivers a superbly-told storyline (that subverts everything you thought you knew about military games), it's difficult to find a reason not to take advantage of this one. Many thanks to yurij666 at HotUKDeals.

Green Man Gaming have brought Spec Ops: The Line down to its cheapest price yet, smashing the £5 barrier and going even further. Considering that you'll get a Steam code and Spec Ops delivers a superbly-told storyline (that subverts everything you thought you knew about military shooters), it's difficult to find a reason not to take advantage of this one. Credit to burgess101 at HotUKDeals, who found this long before I did.

The price between this offer from ShopTo over the next best deal may not be the biggest of our highlights, but this is one of the lowest prices we’ve seen for the PC version. With the price continuing to fall below a tenner, this is definitely worth considering.

Although it may not break the genre conventions in terms of mechanics, and its multiplayer section was tacked on (as admitted by the developers themselves), Spec Ops: The Line provides one of the most thought provoking action storylines in recent memory.

Gamefly's latest reduction sees the PC version of Spec Ops fall to the lowest price we’ve seen, breaking the mystical £5 barrier and providing a weighty saving. Considering that you'll get a Steam code and Spec Ops delivers a superbly-told storyline, it's difficult to find a reason not to take advantage of this one.

ShopTo’s latest reduction sees the PC version of Spec Ops fall to the lowest price we’ve seen, breaking the £10 mark. Overall it works out at a £3 saving over the next best deal from Zavvi and The Hut.

Although it may not break the genre conventions in terms of mechanics, and its multiplayer section was tacked on (as admitted by the developers themselves), Spec Ops: The Line provides one of the most thought provoking action storylines in recent memory. At under a tenner, this is definitely worth considering. Thanks to Syzable @ HUKD!

PC gamers looking for a third person shooter experience with a more mature edge should take note of this deal. GAME are currently providing a serious reduction for Spec Ops: The Line, with a massive saving of £15 over the next best offer.

Although it may not break the genre conventions in terms of mechanics, and its multiplayer section was tacked on (as admitted by the developers themselves), Spec Ops: The Line provides one of the most thought provoking action storylines in recent memory. At £13 it is certainly worth considering. Thanks to MoneyEyes @ HUKD!

Yager Development's managing director, Timo Ullman, has spoken briefly about the current console cycle, explaining that he feels there's still a market for fresh, new ideas, and for approaching well worn genres from different perspectives.

He should know a thing or two about that, having recently shipped Spec Ops: The Line - a military third person shooter that actually manages to distinguish itself from the rest of its run-of-the-mill peers.

Within seconds of firing up Spec Ops: The Line, with an overdriven and slightly sneering cover of "Star Spangled Banner" greeting gamers over the opening title screen, there's a palpable feeling that in spite of the desert backdrop - depicting a Dubai landscape submerged beneath millions of tons of sand after a freak storm - we're in firm Vietnam territory here.

From tense, vicious firefights that play out to the sounds of Deep Purple's "Hush" being streamed over a makeshift PA system, to the brooding and atmospheric, guitar-led soundtrack that sounds like it could have been plucked from any number of 'Nam films, it's a game that reflects upon the horrors of war, and how shock and revulsion can turn a man's mind. At its core, Spec Ops: The Line is a game all about three rather altruistic Delta Force operatives, tossed into a frying pan of physical and moral conflict, and left to try and find their way out...with their minds and bodies somehow intact.

Given the desensitising nature of violent video game culture, and the rather flippant attitudes of the majority of action titles out there, it's refreshing to see a developer strive to take a slightly different look at warfare. This is a game seemingly at odds with the flippancy and casual attitudes to mass murder found in most military shooters these days, and at times Spec Ops: The Line appears to indulge in a spot of self-awareness - asking questions of the very industry and genre of which it is a part. Taking on a third-person perspective with their shooter, Yager allows us an everyman we can project onto, before breaking him down in rather brutal fashion, and forcing the player to consider what they have done.

Spec Ops: The Line is out next week, and Yager have dropped a dev diary that introduces some of the game's key features, including tons of sand, some morally questionable choices, and plenty of bullets.

2K have dropped a demo for their sand-strewn shooter Spec Ops: The Line today. It'll be available to all on PlayStation 3 owners, though only Gold Membership holders will be privy to the demo on Xbox 360 for now. Free subscribers will need to wait a week until 15th May.